Eleanor & Laurent is a cafe, boulangerie, patisserie, charcuterie, and meeting space serving the Garneau area in Edmonton and providing unique locally-sourced goods. The shop honours Eleanor and Laurent Garneau, who arrived on the south bank of the North Saskatchewan River in 1874. Laurent, an entrepreneur and Métis, organized parties and gatherings for a mixed community that was constantly changing, making him and his wife Eleanor social and cultural leaders of their time.
The owner, Abel Shiferaw, aims to embody those social and cultural aspects in his endeavors, including the success of the well-loved Sugarbowl Cafe, also in the Garneau area. Shiferaw purchased the adjacent, empty 3-storey building beside the Sugarbowl Cafe in 2008 with the dream of bringing something specific to Garneau that he felt was missing - a bakery.
Clark Engineering began mechanical design for the building in 2015. The space housed a commercial kitchen that included equipment such as a fryer, a char-broiler, and a French Top.
Highlights:
E&L started serving their first treats in May 2020.